The present invention relates to anchor devices for supporting and securing objects, such as umbrellas. More specifically, the present invention relates to securing such objects into sand, such as that found at the beach and other locations.
It is very well known in the art to secure objects into sand so that they may be secured in place. For example, it is very common in the art to secure an umbrella in sand by including a pointed stake on the free end of the umbrella post and then driving that pointed end into the sand as much as possible. However, a pointed end is susceptible to being pulled out easily, particularly when there are strong winds that can pull up on the umbrella to remove it from the sand
It is also very well known to provide weights on a base of an umbrella to hold it in place. This solution suffers from the drawback of being heavy and difficult to transport and is still susceptible to being tipped over.
Still further, there are known anchor systems that help secure an umbrella in unstable ground, such as sand. However, they are installed first and then buried in sand and are devoid of a way to easy remove the anchor device, thereby requiring the anchor device to be dug out so it can be removed. This requires labor on the part of the user to simply remove the anchor device when it is no longer needed and needs to be transported.
The above attempts in the prior art fail to solve the above mentioned problems.
In view of the foregoing, there is a demand for an anchor device that is lightweight yet easy to use yet still effectively anchors an umbrella in sand, even in the presence of strong winds. There is also a demand for an anchor device that can be easily removed from the sand without first being dug up by the user.